‘A sad day for West Norfolk,’ says Cllr Alex Kemp who disagrees with decision to approve West Winch housing plan
“A sad day for West Norfolk.” That’s how a councillor has described a decision to approve the first stage of a major housing project without an access road being built first.
Norfolk county councillor and leader of the Progressive group Alex Kemp has said that West Norfolk Council planning committee’s decision was “wrong” and expressed her concerns for pedestrian safety in West Winch.
The major scheme would see up to 4,000 new homes built in the village over the next 20 years, while there are also plans to create an access road linking the A10 to the A47.
The first stage of the plans was approved on Wednesday and will see 1,100 houses, an access road from the village to the A47 and a primary school built - but Cllr Kemp had argued that this would cause the “serious deterioration of the A10 and put residents at risk”.
The developer is restricted to building 300 homes before putting this highway infrastructure in place.
Cllr Kemp says that the road linking the A10 to the A47 should be constructed before any houses are built.
The Hopkins Homes application has been a major point of controversy since the farmland was first earmarked for 4,000 houses in 2011. This development on the site is the first to be approved by the council.
More than 140 villagers lodged objections with the authority due to fears about extra pressure the homes will put on services in the area, including schools, hospitals and doctor surgeries.
Cllr Kemp has said she arranged a meeting with some of the residents concerned.
“I am deeply disappointed for West Winch,” she said.
“This development without a bypass first will not be viable. It is an extremely unwise risk to take.”
Cllr Kemp argues that a primary school will not be built in time to support new West Winch residents - meaning more traffic will be added to the A10.
She said in coming weeks, a campaign will begin to secure funding for the bypass - the projected costs for which have recently risen by almost £25 million to £109.2m.
“The A10 in West Winch and Setchey has a shockingly high accident record of 35 road casualties in the past five years. There are many more damage accidents that are not recorded in these figures,” she added.
West Winch has been placed within West Norfolk Council’s Local Plan as a Strategic Growth Area.
The village has been deemed the “most strategically important site for housing” in the borough, and the project is expected to result in numerous employment opportunities and transport links.
